Tape cutter for bag closing machines



May 5, 1942.

J. .1. NEUMAN TAPE CUTTER FOR BAG CLOSING MACHINES s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1939 Gttorncg y 1942- J. J. NEUMAN- 2,282,200

TAPE CUTTER FOR BAG CLOSING MACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 1939- I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 jgl i Zinnentor (ittorne g May 5, 1942- .1. .J. NEUMAN TAPE CUTTER FOR BAG CLOSING MACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 y 1942- .1. J. NEUMAN 7 25,282,200

T-APE CUTTI ER FOR BAG CLOSING MACHINES Filed Jan. 5, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Enventor M ys 1942- J. J. NEUMA N 2,282,200

' TAPE CUTTER FOR BAG CLOSING MACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 19 9 s Sheets-Sheet 5 attorney Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE V 2,202,200 TAPE CUTTER-FOR mo CLOSING moms Jacob J. Neuman, South Salem, N. 1., assignor to United States Patent Development and Royalty Company, South Salem, N. Y.

Application January 3, 1939, Serial No. 249,096

. I 6 Claims. (01. 112-130) This invention relates to tape cutters for bag closing machines and more particularly to a cutter for severing the paper tape sewed over the top-of a filled bag for the purpose of sealing or closing the mouth thereof. In a sewing ma; chine of this type, the paper tape is fed into the sewing machine through a folder which forms or enlarged scale of the contact end of the presser shown in Figure lo. I

A filled bag is delivered from the filling mech- I anism by means for instance of a conveyor like the one shown at 48 in Figure 7. This conveyor 48 is situated to carry the filled bag through the folds the flat tape over the bag and when the sewing mechanism. In the sewing mechanism a tape is folded over the upright top of the bag so as to enclose the upper edges of the two sides and a row of stitches is placed through thetwo sides of the bag and the two folded sides of the strip. The strip is fed continuously into the sewing mechanism and the sewing is done continuously on the market they are not only complicated and bulky but are unreliable and require frequent sharpening.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the in-,

vention to provide an inexpensive and reliable cutter of this type which is readily adaptable to existing sewing machines.

A furtherlobject is to provide such a cutter that requires no sharpening and which employs a quickly and easily replaceable blade of the inexpensive type used in safety razors, thus minimizing lost time due to shut downs which are experienced with existing cutters while they are being sharpened.

A' further object is to provide a cutter which will cut close to the bag, minimizing the length of the paper tape protruding from the end thereof, improving the appearance of the package and affording economies in the amount of thread, tape, etc., used.

. Inthe accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment using a solenoid.

Figure 6 shows an additional embodiment using an air cylinder.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section through the sewing machine it showing a still diiizerent em- 'bodimentn Figure 8 is a detailed perspective view an in the usual manner. It' is therefore necessary ,to sever the portion of the strip and the thread forming the stitches on a single bag so as to remove the bag. The most obvious means heretofore employed has been to cut the strip and ,thread manually by a knife, scissors or the like.

Some cutters have also been incorporated into the sewing machine but those previously used have the objection of complexity and particularly of difliculty in sharpening the cutting edge whati ever it is Referring nowparticularly to Figures 1 to 4,

ill designates the conventional sewing head which is driven from a belt ll through a pulley II.

The belt II is driven by any suitable driving ceives the flat 'tape and forms it over the upper .edges of a bag 16 which is fed beneath the forming channel on .the conveyor. The presser I3 therefore holds the tape l5 and the upper edges of the bag IS in position for sewing by the feeder mechanism (not shown) in the usual manner. The moving of the bag It through the sewing machine III on a conveyor is shown in my Patent No. 1,823,283. In Figure 1 the bag it has been sewed and is emerging from the sewing machine ii. The cutting blade i1 is supported in close proximity to the tape i5 but out of contact therewith by means of the supporting plate i8 which, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, is secured to the bracket is by screws 31. The bracket I9 is in turn clamped on the presser foot rods It by means of a blockiil and a screw 2]. By the position at which the bracket i3 d on the rods it the normal distance b e blade i'i and the tape i5. is readily According to the invention the blade I! is .Of' the readily replaceable wafer type similar to the blades used in safety razors. These blades have a very sharp cutting edge, are readily fastened to the supporting plate 18 and above all may be rapidly and economically replaced when the cutting edge becomes dull or broken.' By preference the blades used are of the type having a longitudinal slot so that the attaching screws 22 which hold the blade to the supporting plate l8 make it possible to secure a limited vertical adjustment of the blade.

Severing of the tape and thread is accomplished by positioning a pivoted lever on the sewing head It. This lever hastwo arms 23 and 24 and is pivoted on the pin 24 carried by the sewing head Ill. The extremity of the arm 23 has a flattened portion 23A designed to engage against the strip and upper edge of the bag near the blade I! and on the opposite side therefrom. A spring 30 is attached to the arm 24 at the eyebolt 26 and has its other end attached at 3! to the sewing head Ill. The spring 30 tends by its traction to project the flattened end 23A against the tape and upper part of the bag to swing them against the cutting blade l'l so as to sever the thread and tape. The extent of swinging of the arms 23 and 24 is limited by a stud 32 positioned as desired on the sewing head l0.

Control of the-device for severing the tape and thread is had by means of the rod 25 which is pivotally connected to the arm 24 at the eyebolt 2B. The lower end of the rod 25 is pivoted to a link 21 which is pin connected to-the shaft 28 journalled at 28 on a fixed part of the machine. A foot control lever 29 is pin connected to the opplished more quickly and with lessstress on the blade. Progressive swinging of the presser brings the lower portion of the tape against the lower part of the blade I I and here again the full pressure is applied over a small portion of the tape. The result is that the tape I5 is cut from top to bottom instead of cutting it simultaneous y across its whole width. This feature is of particular value since it serves to preserve the keenness of the blade H and thus extend its period of usefulness.

Referring now to Figure 5, a modified control for the severing mechanism is shown. In this the arms 23' and 24 into severing position. In this form of control the solenoid 38 will be energized along with the sewing machine motor so that the arms 23 and 24 will be held in inoperative position against the traction of the spring 30 as long as the motor is running. When, however, the motor is stopped by releasing the pedal 29 the solenoid 39 will be de-energized and the spring 39 will cause the end 23A to swingthe tape l5 and bag is against the cutting blade l| as before explained.

posite end of the shaft 28 and is positioned near the ground at a convenient point for operation by an operators foot. Preferably, a pair of spaced collars 33- on the shaft 25 engage the switch arm 34 of the sewing machine motor switch 35' so that operation of the cutter is synchronised with the operation of the sewing -ma-' chine motor. The motor leads 60 comprise the sewing machine motor control circuit in which the switch 35 connected thereto is interposed.

With this control an operator may depress the.

pedal 29 and simultaneously start the sewing machine motor and withdraw the end 23A from engagement against the tape l5 and the upper part of the bag. The pedal 29 is heldin depressed position until a bag is completely sewn and reaches the position of the bag [6 in Figure 1. Thereupon the operator releases the pedal 29 and the spring 39 swings the end 23A against the tape l5 and the top of the bag pressing it against the cutter l1 and severing the tape and the thread which forms the row of stitches. At the same time the spring 30 causes the rod 25 to move downwardly and the switch arm 34 is swung to circuit opening position thus stopping the sewing machine drive. The released bag may then be conducted away in any suitable manner, another bag brought to sewing position and the cycle repeated.

Figure 1a shows the contact end 23A in the machine. As shown in this figure, the arm 23 has at its lower end a curved contact portion 23A, the convex face of which is swung against. the adjacent bag and tape when the presser is operated. With thistype of contact end the up-,

In Figure 6 the arms 23 and 24 are operated by an air cylinder 43 having the piston 44 and piston rod 45. The piston rod 45 is connected to the stud end'of eyebolt 26 of the arm 24 by means of a link 40f. Air under pressure may be admitted through the pipe 46 to raise the piston 44 and swing the arm 24 against the traction of the spring 39. The application of air pressure through the pipe 46 is controlled by means of an electro-pneumatic valve 35" which is operated by the control rod 25". The operation of this pneumatic severing device is the same as the previously described two devices.-

Where the arrangement permits and the bag does not have a lining which must be sewed separately, the apparatus may be as shown in Figure 7. In this form of the device .there is no pushing mechanism at all but a curved bracket 41 is placed along the conveyor 48 so as to strike the upper part of the bag and topple it over as' it is carried by the conveyor 48. It will be seen that the manner in which the bag is toppled over causes the tape I5 to fall against the cutting edge of the blade ll, with the weight of the bag so that the tape and thread are severed and the bag l6 falls onto a suitablecenveyance such as the conveyor 49 and is disposed per portion of the tape is first presented to, the a a a nst the b so that cutt is a adjustably connect said blade support to thei of. The guide 41 is positioned at a distance from the sewing head it] to insure that the trailing edge of the bag top is clear of the blade II.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without presser foot, a thin" replaceable stationary cutting blade, a support for said blade, a clamp to mouth of the bag leaving substantially no surplus tape attached thereto.

2. A tape and thread cutting device in combination with a bag sewing machine having a presser foot and rods supporting the presser foot, said device comprising athin replaceable stationary cutting blade, means to connect said blade to said rods to support said blade adjacent said presser ioot and'adjacent one side of the bag, pivoted pressing means mounted adjacent the opposite side of said bag from said blade, spring means for moving said pressing means in one direction to rock said bag against said blade to sever the tape and thread sewn thereon, control means for said sewing machine..and means coordinated with said control means for moving said pressing means in the opposite direction, to maintain the latter out of contact with said bag during operation of the sewing machine.

3. A tape and thread cutting device in combioperating said presser arm to press the tapeagainst said blade, said convex contact surface thereby causing said blade to slice said tape progressively from top to bottom.

4. In apparatus for closing bags including a sewing machine for sewing tapeiover the mouthof each bag, and a conveyor for feeding the bags rock said bag towards said cutting blade. controllable means operatively connected to said member and operableto move the latter in the opposite direction against the tension of said spring means to maintain said member out ofcontact with said bag, and means for controlling the operation of said last named means-to thereby control severance of the sewed tapeby said cutting blade.

' bags through the sewing machine; a tape and thread cutting device comprising a thin stationary cutting blade mounted adjacent the, delivery 5. In apparatus for closing bags including a sewing machine for sewing tape over the mouth of each bag, and a conveyor for feeding the bags through the sewing machine; a tape and thread cutting device comprising a thin stationary cuttingblade mounted transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor adjacent the delivery side of said sewing machine and adjacent one side of the sewed tape, a pivoted member mounted adjacent the opposite side of said tape and movable transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor, spring means normally urging said member inone direction to rock said bag towards said cutting blade to thereby sever the sewed tape, a solenoid operated plunger operatively connected to said member and operable upon energization of the solenoid to move said member in the opposite direction against the tension of said spring means, and means for selectively energizing and de-energizing the solenoid of said plunger.'

6. In apparatus for closing bags including a sewing machine for sewing tape over the mouth of each bag. and a conveyor for feeding the side oi said sewing machine and adjacent one side of the sewed tape, a presser member mounted adjacent the opposite side of said tape and movable transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor, spring means normally through the sewing machine; a tape-and thread 7 cutting device comprising a thin stationary'cutting blade mounted transversely .to the direction of movement of the conveyor adjacent the delivery side of said sewing machine and adjacent urging said presser member in one direction to rock each bag towards said cutting blade to thereby sever the sewed tape, a. control rod operatively connected to said presser 'rnember' and operable to move the latter against the tension of said spring means to maintain said presser member out oi the path of movement of each bag. and means for actuating the said control rod. 1

JACOB J. NEUMAN. 

